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1.5.4-Sarah1281
Brick!Club 1.5.4 M. Madeleine in Mourning Okay, just how do the papers define “many” years? We know that four years ago he could see just fine. Even if he was stricken blind immediately after Valjean left, in what universe is that many years? He apparently still got to be bishop even though he wasn’t able to do many bishop things but they were probably relieved that he was acting more like a bishop and not able to go out and help people directly anymore. Speaking of which, are we really supposed to be happy he was blind and content about it because he had his sister to look after him and forget about all those people that he used to help and now can’t do more than throw money at? I’m choosing to believe that he was just legally blind. It really is a good thing Baptistine never got married or had much of a life outside of her brother or she never would have been able to help him at all during his time of need and he would have wasted away from despair. Women in Hugo’s universe seem unable to love more than one male figure at a time whatever the capacity. If they try to do otherwise, the males all conspire to stop this unholy abomination and get her to just fixate on the one. The bishop also gets back some of his accidental jerkishness here. To begin with, if someone is staying at your side constantly taking care of you and you know that they have no choice because they are dependent on you, it is extremely optimistic to say it’s because you possess the whole of their heart. Maybe they hate you (I know Baptistine doesn’t but someone else in her position could) and are just taking care of you and trying to keep you alive because they themselves will be ruined when you die. Love may be a factor but it seems to me that from the description of why she’s there, it seems like that’s almost an afterthought. Just…how is he so happy that she’s so dependent on him when he knows he’s going to die and has left her nothing to get by with so she’s going to quickly die after him if she can’t find someone else to take her in? He shouldn’t be so pleased; he should be very upset at what his passing will mean to her! I guess it’s something he finally seems to apprciate her even if he’s doing it wrong. And apparently Hugo thinks it’s a good thing for the woman in question to worship her man. That strikes me as rather unhealthy but we see it time and time and time again. I don’t think this is supposed to be yet another example of how 19th century France sucked but, well, it is. I love the fact it is apparently so easy to get social clout that all you have to do is start wearing mourning for someone important. And how sweetly sad that Madeleine went into mourning for him! What a coincidence that he used to be a servant in the house of the same bishop who saved Valjean (I wonder if he went into mourning for him, too?)! Everyone is so interconnected, aren’t they? And Madeleine is giving money to people like Petit Gervais but because of how far Digne is from Montreuil, I doubt he ever actually saw him in paritcular. Commentary Pilferingapples " I don’t think this is supposed to be yet another example of how 19th century France sucked but, well, it is.” Ha! I think you have just summed up this entire chapter for me, thank you.